Cry For You
by Konoha's White Fang
Summary: To be your friend was all I ever wanted; to be your lover was all I ever dreamed. I love her but I can't have her and when I finally can, it's a little too late for me.


**Cry For You**

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**I recommend reading this piece while listening to Vampire Knight Soundtracks to help in creating a more realistic air.**

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"Are you okay?" Ruka asked worriedly, a gentle hand resting on the shoulder of her blond-reddish haired friend.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Akatsuki assured her and gave her a small smile before stuffing his hands into his pockets and trudging away, swaying a little on his feet. After turning a corner and confirming that he was out of the dusty-haired vampire's sight, he leaned his back against the cold wall and fought to catch his breath and keep his eyelids from closing.

He recalled the time when Kurosu Kaien called them again and told them that, the academy was constructed and that; the Moon Dorm was waiting for them. Of course, he had accepted because of both Ruka's and Aidou's acceptance.

He covered his mouth with his hand as a coughing fit took a hold of him. He didn't know what was wrong with him except for the fact that he had never felt that sick before. It all had started when they fought against the Kuran pureblood; Kuran Rido. Since that day on, he started feeling tired more frequently, even from the slightest act of effort.

He couldn't calm his breathing and his control over his vampire instincts wasn't fairing well. There was that one time when all of his control had been stripped away causing him to almost lose himself to his hidden desires; when he was about to bite Ruka and suck her blood if it hadn't been for the dorm president's presence.

And his control over his powers was about non-existent. He remembered that time when he almost incinerated Aidou in his sleep because of a nightmare he suffered.

He sighed heavily and stared at the Moon Dorm's ceiling; what was wrong with him?

_You'll know soon…_

His auburn eyes widened as he recognized the voice in his head almost immediately. He quickly identified the other presence that hosted his body and couldn't help a sparkle of fear to pierce his heart.

"What do you want from me?" Akatsuki hissed as he tried to keep his voice as low as possible. He didn't need other vampires thinking that he went crazy.

_Soon my little vampire, soon you'll know._

The voice in his head echoed as it faded away, leaving a feeling of dire anxiety and perturbation in its wake. Akatsuki felt fatigue claiming his body. A bead of sweat trailed down his cheek and he quickly wiped it with the back of his hand.

He couldn't afford letting anyone see him in that state so he decided to skip classes tonight and hope that no one would notice his absence. He walked on unsteady feet, leaning heavily against the wall so as not to fall on the polished marble floor.

His eyes started failing him, his vision blurred and he could barely recognize where his feet were taking him. The world around him spun wildly. He stopped mid step in his tracks, closing his eyes and trying as much as he could to ease the dizziness that assaulted his mind.

His usual-even-breaths turned rigid and intermittent, gradually the energy to walk or keep standing left his body, rendering him helpless and in a bad condition. Tentatively, he started slipping down the wall to finally settle on the cold floor, his back leaning against the wall as he looked at the ceiling above with weary eyes.

The smell of blood teased his nostrils, it was a familiar scent and he quickly realized that it was his own blood. He didn't know when he hurt himself. Maybe when he slipped down the wall and felt something stinging him?

He ignored it for the time being, it was nothing serious so he left it to heal by itself. Besides, he doubted that it would attract other vampires.

Fatigue forced his head to hang down and his world painted itself in darkness, the last thing he heard was the voice of someone calling him and the tympanic rhythm of hurried footsteps. After that, he couldn't remember hearing anything else.

"Akatsuki!" A frantic looking Hanabusa yelled as he saw his cousin slipping down the wall onto the floor. He kneeled down and shook the blond-reddish-haired vampire none too gently in a futile attempt of trying to wake his cousin up.

"Akatsuki! Wake up, what's wrong with you?" Hanabusa's voice laced with worry and concern for his fallen cousin. He quickly looked around to search for anyone who could help him in that situation but unfortunately he found none. Everyone was already in class except for him and Kain.

A smell tickled his nose and he realized that it's the smell of Kain's blood. He looked for the source of the blood and found a small cut on Kain's wrist. Why would a cut be on his wrist? He stared at the small wound for a moment.

Its shape was familiar and he could swear that he had seen it before but he couldn't exactly remember. He pondered for awhile as he wracked his brain in trying to remember the suspicious-looking symbol, when it finally hit him. His sky-blue eyes widened significantly and he stared at his cousin's face for awhile before looking back at the symbol.

_The pureblood family; the Kuran family..._

Aidou didn't know what to think of that, he could only stare at the symbol as it stubbornly bled and refused to close up.

He cursed softly under his breath as he carefully lifted the unconscious vampire off the floor. He put one of Kain's arms around his neck to help in supporting his weight, after all Kain was taller than him so he was bound to be heavier. Hanabusa placed one arm around his cousin's waist while the other held the hand around his neck.

Shifting Kain's weight one last time before continuing on his way, he wondered about the reason his cousin was on the floor unconscious. A whisper snapped him out of his thoughts and he averted his attention towards the noble vampire.

"No……I won't let you……..Never."

Hanabusa listened attentively, trying to decipher the meaning behind those words. He quickened his pace when he noticed that his cousin was sweating a lot and that only meant one thing; a fever. He didn't know about it though as he had never experienced it before in his life, but he remembered reading about it in a book.

It wasn't common for vampires to get sick and Akatsuki was no exception, and that only led him to one question; how did he get sick?

Finally arriving at their shared room, he nudged the wooden door open with his foot and entered the quiet room silently. He left the door open because there was no one in the dorm at that time. Easing Kain gently on his bed before covering him with a blanket, he turned to get a bowl filled with water and a piece of cloth from the bathroom.

He could recall reading about it in the same book and also watching it in a movie. He returned as quickly as he left. He created a few ice cubes using his ability then soaked the white article with water before placing it on top of the sick vampire's forehead. At first, Akatsuki winced when the cold material touched his burning hot forehead but then he gradually relaxed and enjoyed the coolness it provided.

It wasn't long before the tapping of footsteps against marble floor was heard; Hanabusa glanced at the door to find Ruka, the Kuran dorm president and Ichijou dorm vice-president.

"What happened?" Ruka neared the two in the room and looked at Aidou for an answer. He merely shrugged and tilted his head towards the unconscious vampire.

"What are you doing here?" Aidou asked in annoyance.

"The teacher sent me to see what's holding you up," she replied with as much annoyance, her hands crossing over her chest to give an air of superiority.

Aidou clicked his tongue while narrowing his eyes at the dusty-haired vampire before imitating her unintentionally and turning his head away from her.

Ruka ignored him and averted her sight to look at the other vampire in the room, only to find a sweaty-hallucinating one. Cautiously, she stepped closer to the bed and as if on cue, Aidou moved away to give her some space. She sat on the spot that was previously occupied by the blond vampire and watched her childhood friend closely.

She removed the white piece of cloth and touched his forehead. The minute her soft hand touched his forehead, she retrieved it, and that earned her a groan from the sleeping vampire.

"So hot," she whispered then looked at the vampires standing in the room.

Not bothering to hide the worry and concern she felt, her eyes exposed all of her fears. For the first time in her life, Kain Akatsuki was sick. She feared the worst for her friend and she couldn't help but feel fear penetrating her broken heart.

Aidou saw it all and he was positively sure that everyone in the room saw it too. The conflict of emotions that clouded Ruka's eyes, he could make out some of them while the others were foreign to him. Sadness, worry and was that…_fear?_

A moan of pain echoed throughout the room, catching everyone's attention. They looked at its source to find none other than Kain Akatsuki gripping tightly on to the blanket as if he was fighting with it before he threw it away with force.

Ruka watched as the disposed off material fell on the luminous floor without a sound. Her eyes darted back to be greeted by the sight of the blond-reddish haired vampire without the white traditional jacket. He only wore his half buttoned up black shirt which exposed his well-toned muscles to her worried eyes.

A blush that couldn't be stopped tainted her cheeks with a soft color of pink. She didn't know what had gotten into her to feel that way when she saw him with only his black shirt. It wasn't like she had never seen him like that before. But maybe because this time, his soaked-with-the-transparent-liquid hair had fallen nicely over his eyes.

They watched as his hands clawed at his neck, drawing blood and injuring his veins. His left hand went to claw at his right wrist drawing more blood than before. Ruka's eyes were wide with fear before she moved quickly to grab her friend's hands.

"Stop it Akatsuki! You're hurting yourself!" She barked out orders at him even though he didn't hear her but surprisingly that seemed to stop him. Though, it was visible that he was in pain and was struggling to stop himself from clawing his wrist.

Kuran Kaname walked with steady pace towards Kain, every vampire in the room watched closely as he grabbed Kain's right wrist and pulled it up to him with force to examine. Although, his facial expressions didn't change and his posture didn't stiffen, everybody knew that there was something deeply wrong.

The air around the pureblood changed dramatically and was filled with tension. He turned towards Takuma and with his deep commanding voice said. "We will be checking all of the books related to the Kuran family's history."

"Hai, Kaname," Ichijou replied with unusual seriousness. His face was troubled and it was obvious to all the vampires in the room. He couldn't hide his emotions very well unlike the dorm president whom didn't show the slightest difference.

Both Aidou's and Ruka's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. A look of worry and dread covered their facial expressions. And at that moment, they both realized that their friend was in a very deep trouble.

Quietly, Kaname started making his way towards the door and was followed by his vice-president. They both left the two friends without another word, left them to their worries and thoughts. The door clicked close when Ruka could no longer feel Kaname's presence in the room. She didn't know how she missed him leaving but at that moment, her mind revolved around one thing only; Akatsuki.

-

"What do you have on your mind, Kaname?" Ichijou asked, uncharacteristically calm and serious.

"The symbol on his wrist belongs to the Kuran family." The pure blood narrowed his eyes slightly. "It must have a reason for it to be there."

"And you are going to know the reason, by going through your family's history," the blond vampire stated more than asked and continued walking towards the grand library in the Moon Dorm.

Once in it, he walked towards a specific shelf, moved a black leathery book then returned it back to its place, after confirming that the secret door had opened.

They entered a dark tunnel, with a candle in Ichijou's hand. The dim light that the candle offered revealed a secret chamber that withheld the secret folders and books of the Kuran family.

"Well…we should be getting started. We have a lot to cover today." Takuma tried to lighten the mood a little but all he got was an impassive look from the other vampire. He sweat-dropped and sighed heavily when he noted the many shelves and books in the chamber.

_This is going to be a long night….._

-

Hours passed like minutes to Ruka as she worried her lower lip until blood started flowing from a small cut resulted from her continuous biting. She cursed softly before sucking it unconsciously.

_Better drink it than waste it…_

Aidou had long left, saying that he would be back after getting a bite to eat. He asked her if she had wanted some but she had refused kindly, appreciating his efforts at trying to be kind and understanding towards her.

She grumbled something about him being incompetent when he failed to come back. Though, she knew that he was doing that on purpose. He was giving her some time alone with the unconscious vampire, to make her drown in her thoughts.

Absent mindedly, she retrieved the warm piece of cloth and soaked it in the cold water before placing it back to where it had been before. She wondered idly about what she would do when Akatsuki would awake and feel all better again.

It made butterflies chirp in her stomach and she couldn't explain the reason. She felt confusion beyond any other confusion. She cursed her incapability at realizing her true feelings. For the life of her, she didn't know what her heart was telling her and she hated that.

And if one thing Ruka hated the most; it was being ignorant to her own self and feelings. If she couldn't know what they meant, who else would know?

She sighed heavily and decided to change the bowl's water. It was growing warm and changing it would serve as a good distraction from a certain person. She trudged towards the bathroom and emptied the bowl's content into the sink before replacing it with much colder water. She exited the bathroom but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw vague auburn eyes looking at her.

"A-Akatsuki…." Her voice was barely audible. She didn't know the cause of her sudden loss of her voice's strength. It suddenly went low and left her to face the person she was thinking about.

"Ruka," he tested her name on his tongue before a mischievous smile spread over his soft lips. He took one step closer to her and was rewarded with her taking one step back, distancing herself from him. Her heart told her to stop acting like a fool and go help him while her mind warned her not to get close to him. There was something uneasy about him and she didn't want to take a chance.

"What are you doing out of bed?" She tried to strike up a small conversation to lighten the tension a little.

"I'm feeling fine." He took another step forward but was enough to cover the distance between them. He stood facing her, towering over her with his height. He slipped his hand under her chin to lift it up and meet her gaze. Her eyes were full of unshed tears and sparkles of fear and concern which only caused his smile to grow further.

The bowl of cold water slipped from her hands and collided with the floor with a clang. The sound echoing throughout the silent room, the cold water splashed on Akatsuki's shoes but he paid it no mind.

A lump formed in Ruka's throat when she noticed the color of his eyes. The auburn color that once painted his orbs, drained out of his eyes and in their stead a pair of blue and red eyes stared back at her. Her voice hedged in her throat and refused to assist her in any way. She could feel her breath turning rigid with each passing moment.

He allowed himself to invade her personal space and lick her neck. Slowly, his tongue traveled down her exposed pale neck until it reached the beating pulse, his eyes flickered with the scarlet red before they returned back to normal.

She felt him nearing her ear and sucking her earlobe before a malicious smile spread over his lips.

"I told you, I will be back for you, didn't I?" he whispered huskily into her ear, making shivers run down Ruka's spine. Her eyes wide with shock and her mouth was slightly cracked. She was frozen with fear and she didn't know what to do. Last time, Akatsuki came and saved her but at that moment, things were different. Akatsuki was the one who's trying to hurt her and not Shiki.

"Y-you're not Akatsuki," she managed to get out between panted breaths. Her chest constructed painfully when she thought about her blond-reddish friend trying to hurt her.

"Correct."

"What do you want?" His smile only widened and turned into a grin. Ruka feared the worst and prayed for one of her vampire friends to come and help her. She was strong and capable, but in terms of physical strength, she did not stand a chance against Akatsuki.

"You've hurt my feelings. How could you have forgotten about last time?" He feigned being hurt and looked at her reaction when his hand gripped her wrist and pulled her closer to him. "I'll try to be gentler with you this time."

"Kuran Rido," she mouthed his name without the honorific, which earned her a scowl from the person before her.

"Is that how you talk to a pureblood?" He tugged at her wrist harder, making her wince in pain.

"---Sama…," she added with distaste.

"I think that we'll get along quite well." He bared his fangs at her and brushed them against her exposed neck's flesh. She tried to stop a shiver from running down her spine and to stifle a moan from escaping her lips.

His fangs dug a little into her flesh and she tried to snuggle away from him but he pushed her against the wall behind her rather painfully. He ran his tongue along the small wound as if tasting her blood before a predator's smile smeared his lips. His eyes turned crimson red with blood lust and his fangs lengthened, hungry for the taste of flesh and blood. The moment he was about to deepen his bite, Aidou came bursting through the door with a frantic look on his face.

"Akatsuki!"

The blond vampire pushed his cousin away from the dusty-haired female. His eyes betrayed what he felt; anger mixed with rage. "What are you doing?" he hissed and his sky-blue eyes narrowed when he noticed the crimson color of his eyes.

Akatsuki only smirked while wiping away the remnants of the blood from his lips. Although, he didn't dug deep into her flesh, he still got to taste her sweet blood. His eyes turned back from their lust state to their normal ocean-blue and dark red.

Aidou's eyes widened before he whispered. "You, you're supposed to be dead."

"Get out of his body!" Aidou launched himself forward, aiming to punch the possessed vampire. He managed to punch him straight in his face, making blood splutter out of his mouth. Kain fell back down from the force of the impact, before fire started surrounding his hand.

Hanabusa gritted his teeth and readied himself to stop his cousin's fire with his own ice. A troubled look spread over his handsome features, he knew that his ice was no match for his cousin's fire. Akatsuki could melt his ice and vaporize it. He knew that he was at a disadvantage but he stood stubbornly, waiting for the inevitable to come.

A burst of fire came rushing towards the two standing. Ruka clutched Aidou's white jacket and hid behind him. Watching the fire coming and praying for the safety of her two friends, even though, she fought with Hanabusa a lot, she still considered him a dear friend.

_And Akatsuki….._She didn't know what to think of him at that moment.

Aidou muttered curses under his breath as he sent his ice to face the burning fire. And just as he had suspected, the freezing ice didn't last long in front of the blazing fire and he was forced to send another wave of the frozen water.

_If this kept on going, at this rate, we will be finished…._

Akatsuki stood in his place, fists tucked firmly in his pants' pockets as he watched with amusement his fire melting the ice and vaporizing the water. A mischievous smile plastered on his face while on the other hand, Aidou was battling to stop the fire from consuming him and Ruka.

Suddenly, the floor beneath them shock, and the rendezvous point where the fire and the ice met was interrupted by a wave of rocks and stones. The battle between the two cousins stopped momentarily and they both stared at the new incomer.

"Rido," the deep voice of Kaname showed neither fear nor worry. It was as strong and confident as ever. His eyes narrowed at the smirking face of Kain.

"So you've finally decided to show up." Akatsuki smirked and held his ground, waiting for the pureblood to make his move.

"I never knew you to be this weak and so easily controlled, Kain Akatsuki." Kaname's icy voice shook the very foundation of the other two vampires. Akatsuki merely looked at him with mild interest as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I planned this well. I was inside him for awhile before I decided to take over his body. Didn't want to repeat my mistake again," he explained. "Very interesting vampire, I might add. He has dark secrets and desires yet he doesn't act upon them. Pretty stupid if you ask me." He shrugged and moved to stand in front of the window, looking outside, at the starless night sky.

"Don't you dare, call him stupid!" Ruka shouted, interrupting the silence that enveloped them for awhile. She moved away from Aidou to stand on her own, facing her possessed childhood friend.

"And who do you think you are to order me around, little girl?" He asked, amused by the fact she was facing him.

"I'm the one who'll teach you not to mess around with other people's bodies," She grounded out with gritted teeth and furrowed eyebrows.

The look of amusement was wiped clean from his face. He scowled at her with clear agitation. One minute he was facing the window, the other he was holding her throat and slamming her against the wall with sheer force, knocking the breath out of her lungs.

She gasped for breath as her hands made a run to grab his clutched fingers and move them away. She shut her eyes as she felt the pain of her crushing throat. Her head throbbed with pain from the impact but she ignored it and concentrated on making him loosen his grip around her aching throat.

"You will not speak to me with such disrespect. You better know your place because next time, luck will not be on your side," he threatened her, his voice dark and promising.

"Ruka!" Aidou yelled and dashed to help her but he was stopped when a wall of fire stood between him and her. All he could do was watch as the very life was chocked out of her. He felt helpless and useless watching her like that.

"Akatsuki…you're….h-hurting me….," she whispered through chocked pants.

"I….thought….that you…would…n-never hurt….m-me." A tear slipped from her closed eyes to rest on Akatsuki's hand. Suddenly, all the pressure against her poor throat disappeared.

She fell down with a thud and a coughing fit was caught in her throat. She gasped for breath, trying to get as much air as possible into her deprived lunges. She lifted her head slowly to see the reason behind his sudden change of heart.

Kain was on his knees, his hands gripping his head tightly while his whole body shook from the intensity of the pain he was suffering. His eyes were tightly shut and his teeth were gritted in order to stop the cries and groans of pain that fought to leave his mouth.

After, a few minutes of the intense pain, he couldn't take it much longer and let out a heart-agonizing scream. Ruka flinched and stepped a few steps back, her heart clenched in agony and she felt something shatter inside her. Hot tears stung her eyes but she pushed them back stubbornly.

Akatsuki fell. He fell on the floor and all time seemed to stop. Everyone was frozen until Ruka ran forward to help him. She kneeled beside him and couldn't prevent her tears from falling. The wounds he caused for himself opened and bled profusely. The smell of his blood wafted through the room, teasing the vampires.

She turned him on his back and placed his head on her lap.

Warmth. It invaded his senses and ushered him to sleep but he refused to comply. He wanted to open his eyes and know the person holding him.

His eyes cracked open, a tear fell on his face and he strained his eyes to clear his blurry vision. What he saw, delighted him and somewhat surprised him. Never in his life had he thought that Ruka would hold him that close. He noticed red angry marks marring the beautiful skin of her neck. He furrowed his eyebrows and realization dawned on him.

He felt despicable and never in his life had he hated himself more than this moment. His auburn eyes didn't dare to look at her face. He felt shame suffocating him and he knew that he deserved to feel that way. When he moved his hand to push her away from him, he discovered that he couldn't. His hand was firmly held by hers. He showed slight resistance but every part of his body screamed at him. His attempts were not enough to shake the woman next to him. He sighed inwardly but still refused to look at her hazel nut eyes.

"Don't worry, it's not your fault," she whispered into his ear. Bringing herself dangerously close to him, her hot breath tickled his neck.

"How can you say that?" His voice came out as a raspy breath. Anger and hatred boiled in his chest, he was angry at himself for being so weak and at that moment, he hated himself more than Rido.

"Shush, I told you it's not your fault," she whimpered under strained breaths. She was struggling to keep herself from shedding anymore tears because she knew that he would blame himself for that too. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, veiling her face from his prying eyes. She knew that, doing that was inappropriate but she could hardly care about that anymore.

Her feelings were the ones controlling her actions and she didn't fight back because she was too tired to do anything.

Akatsuki was taken aback by her sudden bold move but his eyes softened a little. His free hand moved to draw circles on her back reassuringly. He didn't deserve that but he still took the chance and enjoyed the warmth her body provided.

Seeing this, Kaname left back to the library to continue his research. A small smile ghosted over his lips, he was happy for Ruka. She finally found someone who felt the same for her, someone who cherished her, someone who was able to _love_ her back.

"What happened?" Ichijou asked worriedly, when Kaname entered the secret chamber and settled back on one of the chairs.

"We need to hurry."

-

Aidou stood awkwardly in front of the door before he decided that he should interrupt the intimate moment. "C'mon, Ruka. We need to get him back on the bed, he's still sick," he said as a matter of fact while moving towards the two vampires.

Ruka moved away hastily and wiped the transparent salty liquid away before she faced the two cousins again with a small smile. "You're right."

Hanabusa moved Kain slowly with the help of Ruka so as to cause as minimum pain as possible. Akatsuki groaned a little but nonetheless smiled at them to assure them that he was fine.

It was a rare moment to see Kain smile genuinely so Ruka took her time to look at him, memorizing every part of his face; starting from his peachy colored hair, his shining auburn orbs, his noble straight nose, his gentle soft lips till his strong defiant jaw.

She realized that she had never stopped to look at him and examine him so closely before, even though he was always there for her. She was blind, and she always wanted to please Kaname-sama. But after knowing that, Kurosu Yuuki was the one he chose to be his lover, she promised herself to stop thinking about him like that anymore. And soon she realized that her love for Kaname was only an infatuation.

"Ruka?" Akatsuki inquired, blinking at her. "Is something wrong?" he tried to make his voice as audible as possible but failed miserably; it only came out as a raspy whisper.

"N-no, everything is fine." She scolded herself mentally. She was caught staring at him and that was the last thing she needed. Her face heated up a little and she tried to hide it from view.

"Are you sure? Your face is all red." Aidou probably knew what was going on but decided to play dumb and torture her while he could. Ruka glared daggers at him, and he only smirked and shrugged at her, before placing his cousin back on the bed.

"I think I'll leave you two, now. Don't go doing naughty things behind my back." Before he got an answer, he was already out and the door clicked close. So Ruka simply glared at the door, while Kain looked at anything in the room but her. It didn't matter that she told him that it's not his fault, because he still blamed himself for what had happened.

"It's not your fault." As if reading his thoughts, she repeated again.

"If it's not my fault then why do you keep telling me that?" he replied hoarsely.

Ruka was at a loss of words for awhile before she looked away guiltily. He was right; if it wasn't his fault then why did she keep telling him that? She fidgeted around with the hem of her shirt while staring at her lap intently.

As if on cue, Akatsuki reached with a shaky hand and touched her cheek. She looked up in alarm then relaxed when she realized that it was only Akatsuki.

_But then again 'only Akatsuki' tried to bite me; _she quickly brushed those thoughts away.

"Stop looking like that; so guilty." His hand brushed away the tears that escaped her eyes. She hadn't realized that she was crying until his warm hand brushed away her tears.

"It's not in my hands," she whispered. It was the truth and she knew that he knew that too. He was the only one who saw her through her thick and thin. She trusted him so much to drop her strong façade in front of him and let herself be vulnerable around him.

Akatsuki heaved out a sigh and moved his hand away from her face. Her face fit perfectly in the palm of his hand, and it frightened him. Ruka almost immediately missed the warmth of his hand on her face but she took a hold of herself and dismissed that thought as fast as it came.

The wooden door of the room opened suddenly which made Ruka jump out of her skin. She looked at the intruder and quickly lowered her gaze in respect. Akatsuki on the other hand, tried to sit up with a wince but he was pushed back down against the mattress by none other than Kaname himself.

"You should rest well." Then pulled the blond-reddish haired vampire's wrist up for examination, he ushered Takuma to come and take a look at the small symbol before he let go of his wrist. Kaname exchanged a knowing look with his vice-president before he said. "You may think that Kuran Rido has left your body, but unfortunately, that isn't true."

"The symbol on your wrist belongs to the Kuran family. He imprinted it on your wrist some time when he decided to start moving. I see that he chose you to be his vessel for now until he found someone else." Kaname finished with a barely recognizable look of anger tainting his brown eyes.

"With all due respect, Kaname-sama, but how can I get rid of him?" Akatsuki asked, trying hard to maintain his usual calm and collected self.

"We found a way to destroy him once and for all, but the level of the risk is high," Kaname answered.

"The question is: are you willing to take the risk of getting killed in the process?" Ichijou laid the dreaded question on the table. All eyes in the room turned towards Kain as he thought over his answer.

And just in time, Aidou returned back with a bag full of sweets. He looked at the vampires with confusion written all over his face. "What's going on?" He nudged Ruka and waited for her to answer him.

Ruka sighed exasperatedly. "Rido-sama is still inside Akatsuki. Kaname-sama and Ichijou-sama found a way to destroy him but it's risky," she briefed him.

Aidou only nodded and waited for his cousin to voice out his answer. Akatsuki's eyes strayed to stare at Ruka for awhile before he looked back at Kaname. "I'm willing to take the risk, even if it means getting me killed."

Ruka immediately realized his answer, the moment his eyes shifted to settle on her. He still had that guilty look on his face and she knew that he still blamed himself.

Kaname nodded. "Then we shall be starting the preparations, whenever you are ready, we can begin." He left with Ichijou and closed the door.

"Why did you accept?" Ruka's throat burnt, as it closed over itself. She couldn't describe how pained she felt at the moment. Just the thought of Kain dying made her uneasy. She neared him with confident steps and it was her turn to tower over him. "Kaname-sama would have understood and found another way to help you."

Kain didn't answer her and shifted his sight to look at his cousin. Aidou didn't return the other vampire's look and instead moved to lean against the wall, arms folded across his chest and eyes closed.

"Answer me!" Ruka chocked out the words. She knew that she was being silly but she couldn't take the thought of living without her friend.

_Friend…._

Was he her friend or something else?

"I don't want you to leave me alone," Ruka whimpered, falling on her knees soundlessly next to the bed. She buried her face into the covers of the bed next to his resting hand. She felt his hand comb through her hair and she leaned into it.

"What am I to you, Ruka?" He whispered softly.

Ruka's eyes widened for a moment.

_What was he to her? Why did she care so much about him? _

She had a feeling that she cared for him as more than a friend, but she couldn't exactly make sure. She felt confused and afraid from the new anonymous feelings in her heart.

"I-I don't know," she answered him truthfully. He took a deep breath and kept silent, his gentle hand still combing through her silky locks of hair. He heard her even breathing and guessed that she was asleep. He took that as a time to think about his more developed feelings concerning her. His feelings were stronger, deeper and it scared him. What if she didn't like him? He knew that, that possibility had been roaming around in his mind for the last couple of years. He didn't want to experience what heartache was like.

He glanced at the beautiful vampire kneeling next to him asleep, and started to make a move to stand. He winced inwardly as he moved but he kept silent nonetheless. He didn't want to bother her peaceful slumber.

Cautiously, he carried her bridal style, he relished in the moment he was able to hold her so close to him even if it caused him more pain. All the pain was worth that one single moment because who knew? Maybe that was the last time he'd be able to feel her warmth.

The smell of her hair teased him; lavender. It suited her well. He buried his nose into her hair, inhaling her calming scent before placing her on top of his bed with a sad look on his face. He covered her with his blanket and moved away from the bed. He brushed his lips against hers softly, and pressed gently before taking one last glance at her. He nodded at his cousin before both of them left the room.

-

"Kaname-sama, I'm ready." Akatsuki entered the pureblood's room and stood firmly in his place. There stood before him, the Kuran pureblood and the Ichijou heir.

"Are you sure about this?" Kaname asked.

"Positive," Kain replied back with sheer confidence.

Kaname gestured for Ichijou to start explaining what they were going to do. Ichijou only nodded before stepping forward and unsheathing his own sword.

"I'll have to warn you about this, it's a fifty-fifty gamble. I've placed a Hunter's spell on my sword; I will strike five points of your body with it. Blood will surely flow out of the wounds but not only yours but also Rido-sama's. The only problem is that you will lose a lot of blood and also your fast healing ability because of the Hunter's spell," Ichijou ended grimly.

"That's okay, I'm sure that it's worth the shot." Kain tried to lighten the mood a little but failed miserably.

"Then are you ready?" Ichijou asked one more time before taking up his stance.

"Do it," Kain readied himself for the pain to come and closed his eyes shut.

……………………

Ruka awoke with a start; she looked around her vaguely, her hands surveying the place she was sleeping on. She noted that it was comfortable and immediately knew that she was sleeping on Akatsuki's bed. She buried her face into his pillow and inhaled deeply, his masculine scent still clung to the pillow's cover. She felt warmth blinding her senses and almost fell back to sleep until she realized a very important fact.

If she was sleeping on his bed, then where was Akatsuki sleeping? She looked around her hastily and immediately realized that she was alone in the room. She cursed softly under her breath, fear holding her heart in the palm of its hand.

Her heartbeats raced when her memories took her back to when Akatsuki agreed to go through the process even with his knowledge of its risk.

"_I'm willing to take the risk, even if it means getting me killed."_

His words echoed through her mind and repeated themselves over and over like a broken record. Her eyes filled with the unshed salty liquid. She swung her feet out of the bed and strode over the door. Her hand quickly reached the door's metal knob before it stopped.

Ruka chewed on her lower lip and felt hesitant about her decision.

_Why do you care so much about him? _

'_Because he's my friend'_

_You know that's not it. What is he to you?_

'_I-I don't know…'_

_Then what is driving you to open the door and walk through it?_

'_I'm worried about him'_

_Then why are you hesitating?_

'_I don't know!'_

_Because you're slowly falling for him, and you're falling hard..._

Ruka's eyes widened as she slowly realized what the feelings inside her had been all along. She was falling for him, slowly but surely. She should have known that but it was all because she had been blind.

Her hand enveloped the cold metal and twisted the door's knob, just in time to meet Ichijou. She backed away from the door and let the vice-president into the room. Her eyes followed the blond vampire as he entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"Ruka…," Ichijou started with a grim look painting his face. His eyes moved to look at anything but her.

Ruka's heart skipped a beat, her knees were giving up on her and she felt the need to go and sit but she didn't budge from her spot. Tears welled up in her hazel nut eyes but she didn't allow them to fall.

"I'm sorry…." Ichijou's head hung low. Silence enveloped them both. The tears in her eyes finally escaped their prison and tainted her pale cheeks. She felt hands holding her and guiding her towards the bed. She sat down and her expression was one of a shock.

"Please don't say it, please don't" she choked on her sobs then buried her face into the warm pillow; his pillow; _Akatsuki's_. Inhaling deeply into his scent and memorizing it.

_Just when I realized that I love him…._

* * *

I don't own Vampire Knight or its characters. They belong to their rightful owner.

Every time I read this story, my eyes well up and I feel like crying. I hope that you enjoyed reading this and if there's any mistakes, please be kind and point them out for me, I could use some help. Also, this is one of the drafts I have, and honestly, I've never thought about publishing it before.

Thank you for reading.

~KWF~


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